Hays County Judge Bert Cobb imposed a burn ban this morning as the county falls deeper into drought.

The county is at 575 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, “an indication that the ground is very dry and that vegetation has become a source of fuel for any spark,” the judge said.

All outdoor burning is prohibited except for charcoal and gas grills with lids.

The judge also enacted an emergency disaster declaration that prohibits the use of aerial fireworks with sticks and missiles with fins. The order will expire in seven days unless extended by the commissioners court.

For more information about the drought index and wildland fire planning guide, visit the Hays County Fire Marshal’s website here.

7 thoughts on “Hays County judge signs burn ban order”

A lot of fools spent last night shooting off fireworks near Dunbar Park in San Marcos. It sounded like Kosovo around here.

I’d just been out in the park earlier in the evening to walk the dog, and boy is it ever dry….the ground is cracked and the grass is brown and brittle. Shooting off spark-inducing pyrotechnics in that environment is idiotic.

I don’t understand why SMPD doesn’t just plant a patrol car around that area every July 4 and Jan. 31, because it always plays out the same way.

The article made it pretty clear that the burn ban and the fireworks ban were separate orders. The burn ban is “until further notice” but the fireworks ban was a seven-day emergency order. And yes, it would have been far more effective to pass said fireworks ban BEFORE July 4, not on the 5th.